The 5 best ways to cook this glorious gourd

Marrows: so misunderstood. Easy to grow, they often get a bad rap for being watery and flavourless, when in fact they are so much more than that. 


Stuffing them with meat or spiced fillings is the traditional way to cook a marrow, but in fact they're also popular in curries and soups, and a marrow is a great vegetable to place under a Sunday roast chicken or beef joint to soak up all the juices. Inspired? Read on for some delicious recipes ... 


Marrow and roasted garlic soup

A whole bulb of garlic is slow-roasted for this soup, giving it a smoky, musky flavour that pairs well with the earthy marrow. Topped with a little dollop of natural yoghurt or crème fraiche, this makes a filling and tasty lunch. 


Marrow gratin

At first glance this recipe looks like a side dish, but it’s actually hefty enough to be a main course and is perfect for veggies. The diced marrow is beefed up with orzo pasta and the grated halloumi and breadcrumbs on top give it a lovely, cheesy crunch.


Spaghetti marrow and tomato curry

No, there’s no actual spaghetti in this curry as that would be really odd. Instead, the ‘spaghetti’ refers to how the flesh of this marrow falls apart when cooking, which makes it perfect to soak up all the fiery spices of the curry.


Marrow cake

When life gives you giant marrows: make them into cake (or at least that’s how we paraphrase that old saying). Just like carrots, courgettes and beetroot are great moisture-makers in other cake recipes, the humble marrow can also cook up a treat when baked into a sponge. Here’s a vanilla and nut recipe that turns out remarkably well.


Marrow rum

Yes, marrow RUM. Who knew that allotment classic could brew up some hooch? Country folk have been on to this little secret for a while, so if you have a bumper batch of marrows to use up, why not give this a try?  It’ll be a talking point at your next dinner party, at any rate.